Get the Salt Out (55 page)

348
What’s the saltiest drink available?
Bloody Mary mix, a drink I have seen many men on airplane flights guzzle down as if it were water. If you thought Bloody Mary mix was a nice alternative to soda, learn the facts about how unhealthy this beverage really is: 8 ounces of Mr. 8c Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary mix contains 1,350 milligrams of sodium and 8 ounces of Tabasco brand Blood Mary mix contains 1,550 milligrams of sodium. No matter whether you like Bloody Mary mix with or without alcohol, you simply shouldn’t drink it.

349
You can, however, make your own.
Here’s a healthy substitute that’s great for parties. This recipe is courtesy of Mr. Spice (Lang Naturals).
One Salt Shaker.

Shake the tomato juice with the hot sauce. Pour into a tall glass over ice. If desired, add a piece of lime and vodka to taste. For decoration, you can also add a celery stick as a stirrer, if desired.
Serves 4.

350
Get into the habit of saying “no salt, please”
whenever you order a margarita (even if you order a virgin margarita). Salt around the rim of a margarita may be pretty, but it contributes up to 1,000 more milligrams of unhealthy sodium to each drink.

351
The worst way to quench your thirst
if you eat too many salty snacks in a bar, for example, is to drink sugar-rich fruit juices, sodas, or alcoholic beverages. (Alcohol acts like sugar in the body.) According to Chinese food therapy, salty foods and sweet foods act in totally opposite ways: salty foods cause the body’s fluids to contract while sweet foods cause the body to expand or relax. If you overindulge in salty foods, your body usually craves sweet drinks as a way to maintain balance. However, if you have sweet (or alcoholic) drinks, you then will want more salty snacks. A vicious cycle results—an unhealthy salt-sugar or salt-alcohol interdependence that is often hard to break. (Bar owners count on this cycle, frequently providing free, salt-soaked tidbits on every table to increase the sales of alcoholic drinks.) To prevent this unhealthy habit from beginning, simply try to avoid salty snacks at bars, nightclubs, and parties. If you do accidentally eat more salty snacks than you should, stop the cycle dead in its tracks: order low-sodium bottled water and drink plenty of it to flush the unnecessary salt
out of your system. Evian is a good, low-sodium brand of water you can order in most places.

BONUS TIP:
If you have high blood pressure, avoid alcohol as much as possible. Although it is low in sodium, alcohol contributes to hypertension, just like salt. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, much evidence suggests that you also should avoid drinking alcohol, except for occasional glasses of wine. Alcohol interferes with the utilization of essential fatty acids and can prematurely age the skin. In excess, it also can cause liver dysfunction, malnutrition, depression, and blood-sugar instability. However, research also shows that wine contains beneficial substances that may raise good HDL cholesterol levels and may protect against heart disease. If you do decide to drink wine occasionally, drink no more than a glass or two a day, and try to buy organic wine (wine made from organic grapes, which don’t contain potentially harmful preservatives) whenever possible.

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Salsa is a party favorite,
but you could be offering your guests a salty food if you serve a store-bought brand. Make salsa yourself instead. Homemade salsa always tastes better than the commercial varieties, and it is so quick and simple to prepare that there’s simply no excuse for not making your own. The recipe in tip 339 is so tasty you can serve it to guests, and it takes only about five minutes to prepare.
One Salt Shaker.